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Condo blast victims launch $30M lawsuit – Metro US

Condo blast victims launch $30M lawsuit

Residents
of a Kingston Rd. condo complex have launched a $30 million
class-action suit over a March 19 electrical fire that has kept them
from their homes for nine days and could see some families moved today
to homeless shelters.

Four residents of the complex at 3650
Kingston Rd., near Markham Rd. in Scarborough Village, filed the
lawsuit yesterday against Toronto Hydro and Deltara Construction on
behalf of all 500 residents,

The late-night blast in the
building’s hydro vault drove them on to the street at 2:30 a.m. and
sent smoke and soot throughout the nine-storey building.

The four
are among nearly 200 people who fear they will be ordered to move today
into homeless shelters because the City of Toronto no longer will pay
to keep them in a Howard Johnson Inn.

“We’re in a panic –
everyone’s dreading the idea of having to move to a homeless shelter
where there could be abused families and some don’t feel secure,” said
Doug Charmley, one of the plaintiffs.

He and his wife and two children
are among the 50 families who say they have no insurance and nowhere to
stay until the building is reopened. So is Nazaline Insanally, single
mother of a 5-year-old son who, like Charmley, took part in a special
program that helps families on lower incomes afford to buy a condo.

The
city first housed evacuees in a Scarborough community centre, then last
weekend moved those with no other option into the motel on Warden Ave.,
at the city’s expense. On Tuesday, however, families received a letter
from the city saying they must check out today.

City
spokesperson Kevin Sack insisted yesterday, “no one will be rushed out
the door … (Saturday) is not the deadline, but we will continue to
make sure each person has somewhere to stay, whether it’s a hotel,
motel or emergency shelter.”